Disbarred lawyer guilty of killing friend in scam

A Cook County jury convicted a 76-year-old disbarred attorney of murder Thursday, finding that he intentionally killed a health-club buddy to bilk him of nearly $100,000.

The jury took less than 2 1/2 hours to decide that Fred Mandell of Highland Park was guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery. Mandell now faces 45 years to life in prison.

Mandell was accused of firing five shots at Norman Mueller, 61, of Lincolnshire as part of a phony narcotics scheme in which Mandell promised Mueller a threefold profit on the money that he gave Mandell.

During the trial, which began Tuesday, Mandell admitted to both luring Mueller into the fake deal and shooting him. But Mandell said he shot in self-defense, believing Mueller was reaching for a gun.

Prosecutors countered that the self-defense argument was "ridiculous," especially because police never found a weapon on Mueller.

Mandell said the dealers would use Mueller's money to buy 3 kilograms of cocaine, sell the drugs and reimburse Mueller more than $300,000.

No drug dealers existed. Mandell was just trying to get away with Mueller's money, prosecutors said.

The two men had met at a health club roughly two years before the murder, Sharon Mueller testified. She said her husband had lost his job as a computer consultant and was "desperate" for money.

Thursday's ruling brought to a close a case that at times bordered on the unusual.

In pretrial motions, Mandell, who confessed the crime to police, tried to keep his statement from being presented to jurors by saying that police had repeatedly hit him in the head to force the confession.

Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta, citing photographs taken of Mandell, ruled last month that no such abuse took place.

"Mr. Mandell is probably one of the more cunning individuals I've seen in a long time," Fecarotta told the court. "His testimony is ridiculous, it's ludicrous. He is not a credible witness."

In response, Mandell tried to give the judge a piece of his mind.

"Just as you made your assessment on me and my character, I'd like to make a statement on you and your character," he said.

Fecarotta then cut him short.

Mandell will be sentenced June 28. It won't be the first time he goes to prison. Mandell served 2 1/2 years in federal prison for mail fraud, a conviction that cost him his law license in 1975.